Wednesday, March 18, 2020,
These are a pair of photos of I Song Sparrow I encountered at Morton Refuge this past January. These pics were taken during our brief hiatus and I’m just getting around to posting them. I’m still playing catch up. JK
JK
Tuesday, March 17, 2020,
This is a Turkey Vulture. Turkey Vultures have an extraordinary sense of smell. Scientists believe that these vultures have the largest and most powerful olfactory organs of any bird. They can smell carrion hundreds of feet below as they ride the thermals far above. Some sources claim that a Turkey Vulture can detect a carcass from as much as a mile away.
As some of you know, I am a long-time volunteer at Sweetbriar Nature Center. At Sweetbriar we have two Turkey Vultures, at least one of which is female. What you may not know is that this is the start of the mating season for these birds. As I stated earlier, Turkey Vultures have an excellent sense of smell. And it’s not always about carrion. Sometimes, it’s about love. (Cue the Beatles’ “All You Need is Love”.) Without the love bit, we’d be running low on Turkey Vultures and that would be a very bad thing. But that’s a lesson for another day.
So anyways, some years, (but not every year), the female Turkey Vulture at Sweetbriar attracts roaming males. They will perch in the trees around her enclosure. Last Sunday, I had the opportunity to photograph a love-smitten male as he visited our grounds. It’s not every day that I get the chance to see a vulture that isn’t a half mile away so I pulled out my camera and took some photographs. Maybe I got something worth seeing. JK
JK
Monday, March 16, 2020,
Time for some nearly unbearable cuteness. I took these photos back in January but I was unable to post them here at that time. Joe Kayaker was down due to technical problems that I needed outside help to fix. (Thank you Mike.) This is a young Harbor Seal I found in Westhampton. For anyone interested, a framed version of the above photo will be available as a raffle prize at this year’s Taps and Talons Festival at the Sweetbriar Nature Center on September 20, 2020. JK
JK
Friday, March 13, 2020,
This is a male Wigeon that I photographed at Frank Melville Park in Setauket. These handsome ducks generally only visit Long Island during the winter months. There are still some hanging around but, soon, they will be departing for more northerly climes. I will miss them but their coming and going is what makes each change of season unique and wonderful. JK
JK
Thursday, March 12, 2020,
You’ve heard of Sea Lions in the Pacific Ocean and Leopard Seals in the waters surrounding Antarctica. Now meet the fearsome Tiger Seal. The terror of fish everywhere, yet notoriously camera shy, the Atlantic Tiger Seal has never been photographed prior to this encounter.
Or perhaps this is just an ordinary Harbor Seal whose fur just happens to be drying in an interesting pattern. 🙂 JK